Collection of German Schleswick Plebiscite 1919-20 issues (the
vote over Danish/German territory) a couple in Danish currency;
together with some useful Internet research on the subject, mainly
Unc (34 notes)
Est. $75

Australia and New Zealand Bank Limited London certiﬁcate for ten
“B” shares of £1 each dated 2nd November 1959 with attached
label indicating their change of status in 1962; pin hole centre
right else fresh
The origins of the now ANZ Banking Group commenced with
the establishment of the Bank of Australasia by Royal Charter in
1835 (see the following two lots); in 1951 the Bank of Australasia
merged with the Union Bank of Australia (an Anglo-Australian
bank established in 1840) to form the ANZ Bank. In 1970 the bank
merged with the English, Scottish and Australian Bank (another
Anglo-Australian bank, established 1852) to form the ANZ Banking
Group. In 1977 the bank became incorporated in Australia,
transferring its corporate headquarters from the UK
Est. $75

Bank of Australasia certiﬁcates for 18 Tenth series shares at £11
per share dated 6th June 1928, and three £5 shares dated 26th
Feb 1930 each with probate stamps hand dated 9th March 1940,
both with staple holes and the second with ink or carbon blot else
fresh (2 certiﬁcates)
Est. $125

2301

Bank of New South Wales certiﬁcate for one £100 share dated
31st May 1832; reverse notations relating to the receipt of £15
deposit, and transfer of share to third party in 1838, an extremely
rare piece of banking history in excellent condition for age
Australia’s oldest bank that was founded in 1816 and opened for
business in 1817
Est. $500

Mercantile Bank of Australia Limited certiﬁcate for 25 shares at £5
each dated 30th Sept 1890, pin holes top left else fresh and scarce
The bank commenced operations as the Australian Economic
Bank Limited in Melbourne in 1877. In 1885 the bank reregistered
as the Mercantile Bank of Australia and opened its ﬁrst branch
in Ballarat. In 1886 it added an ofﬁce in London. By 1891 it had
further branches at Collingwood, Geelong, Mentone and Prahran.
In March 1892 the bank suspended payments after dubious
reﬁnancing activities brought the bank to its knees
Est. $150

2305

Oriental Bank Corporation certiﬁcate for one £25 share dated
12th June 1856 with reverse transfer details, a complete chit with
mainly clear seal impression and ties to Australia
The bank was established in India in 1842 as the Bank of India,
and changed its name to the Oriental Bank in 1845 when the
headquarters were transferred to London. After incorporation by
Royal Chatter the name changed to Oriental Bank Corporation
in 1851. Melbourne and Sydney ofﬁces were opened in 1852
with interstate ofﬁces opening from 1857. Losses in Ceylon and
Mauritius in 1884 forced the bank to be reconstituted as the New
Oriental Bank Corporation with only the Melbourne and Sydney
ofﬁces remaining in Australia, but the bank failed to survive and
closed for good in 1892
Est. $100

2306

Primary Producers Bank of Australia Limited certiﬁcate for ﬁfty £5
preference shares dated 25th Nov 1924, minor tear along fold at
base else no pin holes and clean. The lot also comes with a rather
quaint photo of an agency ofﬁce c.1925
Not much information can be found for this trading bank that
opened in 1923 and went into liquidation in 1931 apart from
newspaper articles regarding speculation about the bank’s
health, litigious issues and a couple of scholarly works. In 1930
the bank accounted for 0.5% of Australian bank deposits (mostly
farmers) but as the prices of primary products fell during the Great
Depression the bank suffered a steady drain of funds – over the
18 months prior to its closure the bank lost 40% of these deposits.
In April 1931 it sought assistance in the form of funding from the
Commonwealth Bank and amalgamation with another bank, but
attempts at amalgamation failed. The Primary Producers Bank of
Australia is the only recorded bank in Australian banking history
where depositors were not fully reimbursed for their deposits
(albeit only losing 1.25% of their funds)
Est. $100

Session 6

2304

2302

2303

Bank of South Australia Limited certiﬁcate for 100 shares at £25
each dated 11th November 1886 with two payment stamps on
reverse, several pin holes left hand side else complete and very
scarce
The Bank of South Australia ﬁrst opened its doors for deposits
as the Savings Bank of South Australia in 1848, though its
roots go back to the issue of “Kinscote (Kangaroo Island) notes”
in 1836. In 1984 it and the State Bank of South Australia (also
established in the 19th Century) merged under the latter title.
After a disastrous crash of the bank in 1991 the ‘good’ part of
the bank (known as Bank SA) was sold to Advance Bank in 1992
which was subsequently purchased by St George Bank (now part
of Westpac)
Est. $200

Commercial Banking Company of Sydney certiﬁcate for one
£100 share dated 1st May 1838, complete and extremely rare, a
marvellous example
The CBC was founded and opened its doors in 1834. The bank
survived depressions of the early 1840s and 1890s and managed
to establish ofﬁces in other states over the succeeding decades.
Following earlier discussions in 1969 regarding the possible
merger of the (then) National Bank of Australasia (est 1858)
the formal merger of the two groups occurred in 1981 with the
creation of the National Commercial Banking Corporation of
Australia Limited. In 1984 the group changed its name to the
now-familiar National Australia Bank
Est. $750

Boolong Mining Development Syndicate Coolgardie WA (capital
£1,200 in shares of £20) certiﬁcate for one share 30th March
1896 with attached Penny stamp; Boulder Central Extended Gold
Mining Company NL Kalgoorlie WA (capital £42,500 in shares of
10/-) certiﬁcate for 100 shares 26th April 1899 with notations on
reverse; together with Dumra Gold Prospecting Syndicate Limited
India certiﬁcate for 100 shares of One Rupee each 30th Sept 1890
with duty stamp, the second chit with numerous pin holes, the
others with one or two (3 certiﬁcates)
Est. $100

Royal Bank of Australia Limited Melbourne foolscap-size
prospectus and application for subscription to the ﬁrst issue of
shares upon its establishment in 1888, numerous edge nicks and
thinning along folds else complete and interesting
Est. $75

Western Extended Silver Mining Company NL certiﬁcate for 1050
shares of £1 each 19th March 1897; North Oceana Silver Mining
Company certiﬁcate for 100 shares at 2s 6d dated 5th June 1891,
both companies based in Zeehan Tasmania, the ﬁrst chit with
corners missing at left and slight tear on top margin, both with pin
and spike holes top left (2 certiﬁcates)
Est. $75

2321

Wheal Ellen (South Australia) Mining Company Limited certiﬁcate
for one £5 share dated 1st Jan 1861; together with 20th Century
chits for Narlarla Hills Silver Lead Mining Company NL West
Australia 1906 and Oonah Silver Mining Company Tasmania 23rd
Oct 1907, the last two with spike holes top left (3 certiﬁcates)
Est. $90

Session 6

2320

2315

Brookman Brothers’ Boulder Gold Mining Company Limited
Adelaide, two certiﬁcates of differinwg design, the ﬁrst (capital
£120,000 in shares of £1) certiﬁcate for twelve shares 29th June
1898, the second (capital £175,000 in shares of £1) certiﬁcate for
one 100 shares 3rd Oct 1899, both with multiple notations and
stamps, numerous pin and spike holes, and transfer details on
the reverse, the second with tear in right margin (2 certiﬁcates)
Est. $90

2316

A similar lot to the previous with different purchasers and
quantities, one with no tears but tatty right edge (2 certiﬁcates)
Est. $90

2317

Golden Point No.1 Gold Mining Company NL Lefroy Tas (capital
£3,750 in shares of 2s 6d) certiﬁcate for 100 shares 16th Feb
1895; Howley Gold Mines Limited (capital £150,000 in shares of
£1) certiﬁcate for two shares 21st Aug 1899; plus Wentworth Gold
Mining and Indian Estates Company Limited certiﬁcate for 100
shares at £1 each dated 22nd April 1887, a few pin holes top left
corner of the last two chits and small ink spill on one chit else very
clean (3 certiﬁcates)
Est. $100

North Oceana Silver Mining Company Zeehan Tas 22nd May 1891;
Star of Dundas Zeehan Tas17th Nov 1891, both certiﬁcates for 100
shares at 2s 6d, the ﬁrst chit with several pin holes top left, the
second with left margin tear (2 certiﬁcates)
Est. $75

Gulgong Gold and Diamond Mines NSW capital £27,500 in shares
of Five Shillings each, certiﬁcate for 100 shares dated 28th Sept
1923; together with old album of Australian and world stamps,
souvenir gold plated Pennies (3); vintage and antique books on
poetry compr Francis Thompson c.1912 (3 vols), Browning c.1925,
Lives of the Poets vols I and II c.1822; plus Ripleys Believe it or
Not c.1939 and other misc volumes (5) Mixed Condition but a nice
Est. $75
group (lot)

Princess Theatre Company Melbourne 7th April 1879 (capital
£10,000 in 200 shares of £50 each) embossed certiﬁcate for one
£50 share in favour of George Rignold, with endorsement on the
back transferring the share from George Rignold to James Cassius
(J.C.) Williamson 1882 and signed by both parties
J.C.Williamson, American actor and theatrical manager, toured
Australia in 1874-75 then returned to Melbourne 1879. In 1885
Williamson and two others formed a partnership to build a new
theatre on the site of the previous Princess Theatre & Opera House.
The new Princess Theatre opened 18 Dec 1866 with a performance
of the Mikado. The English-born actor George Rignold settled in
Australia after touring here and North America. He held the lease
for seven years from the opening of Her Majesty’s Theatre Sydney
in 1887. Although having married twice, he had no children and
upon his death in Darlinghurst in 1912 his estate passed to the
Royal General Theatrical Fund
Est. $100

2331

Princess Theatre Company Melbourne 7th April 1879 (capital
£10,000 in 200 shares of £50 each) a similar certiﬁcate to the
previous in favour of George Rignold, with transfer details on
the reverse; plus unused Claridge House Limited Adelaide ‘B’
preference share certiﬁcate dated 192-, the ﬁrst chit toned. The lot
also comes with an old Air New Zealand in-ﬂight magazine article
about the restoration of the Princess Theatre, and seven replica
share certiﬁcates for the Melbourne, Sydney & Adelaide Chartered
Bank for use as a promotion for an exhibition of old bonds and
shares at Stock Exchange House, 351 Collins Street Melbourne
c.1980s (10 items)
Est. $125

Australian Joint Stock Bank Ltd selection of circulars c.1897
detailing shareholder and depositor arrangements for restructuring
the bank over the ensuing years that highlight the severity of the
banking crisis in Australia at that time. The lot also includes the
bank’s 8th annual report, VF or better (14 documents) Est. $125

2334

Bank of Australasia letter of credit 1851; similar item from Bank of
New South Wales dated 25th Feb 1865; money order for £1,000
dated 1869 on Notary Public Henry Penketh Fergie letterhead;
Derwent Bank Tasmania letter dated 8th Feb 1837 to a Captain
Robert Butler outlining his account details; together with two
different Australian Bank of Commerce sight notes 1911 and
1912, VF-EF, a nice group (6 items)
Est. $100

Downies Australian Coin Auctions

Page 95

Session 6

Banking Instruments, Cheques

2335

Bank of Australasia booklet “List of Proprietors October 1859”
36pp soft cover; plus two different c.1860s leaﬂets from the same
bank detailing the Court of Directors titles and product information,
VF (3 items)
Est. $90

2336

English, Scottish and Australian Chartered Bank booklet “Charter
of Incorporation 1852” 17pp with soft cover, minor ‘dog ears’
but a clean intact copy, extremely rare and important document
produced before the ﬁrst branch opened in Sydney 1853
The bank was formed in London and incorporated by Royal Charter
in 1852. In 1970 it merged with the Australia and New Zealand
Bank to form the ANZ Banking Group
Est. $175

2337

Queensland National Bank selection of circulars 1897-1899
detailing shareholder, creditor and depositor arrangements
concerning a restructure of the banking in view of the continuing
banking crisis in Australia at the time, the lot also includes
monthly and half yearly reports (12 items ex Webster Collection);
plus two Western Australian Bank blank credit slips 188-, VF-EF
(14 documents)
Est. $125

2338

Reserve Bank of Australia, pre-decimal type note bundle label
for 1,000 One Pound notes dated May 1965, signed by Note
Printing Branch and Note Issue Branch representatives; together
with four bundle wrappers for 100 notes in orange, green, blue
and red for the Ten Shillings, One Pound, Five Pounds and Ten
Pounds denominations, an unusual and interesting lot of banking
memorabilia (5 items)
Est. $75

2339

Leaﬂet dated 31st May 1893 by Faithfull, Begg & Company,
Bartholomew House (and Stock Exchange) London detailing the
ﬁnancial position of each Australian bank, and in the situation of
suspended banks, the proposed restructure schemes as a result of
the banking crisis of the time, some separations and some minor
notations else complete and a most interesting VF or better document
Ex Webster Collection item 4142
Est. $90

Page 96
Image viewable on website www.downies.com/auctions

2340

Anglo-Australian Investment Bank Limited receipt for £90
ﬁxed deposit over three years dated 4th May 1889; Mercantile
Permanent Building Society Melbourne receipt for £100 ﬁxed
deposit over three years dated 6th April 1890 with reverse interest
notations, the ﬁrst with small piece missing at top and other minor
tears, the second with a couple of minor stains, both with pin or
staple holes (2 certiﬁcates)
Est. $75

2341

Bank of Australasia 30 day sight note for £750 dated 6th April
1853; another for Thirty Shillings 29th Nov 1854 from Lanceﬁeld
Victoria; plus Commercial Bank of Australia second bill of exchange
for £30 dated 13th Sept 1884, all on printed forms with the
second printed by Ham Brothers Engravers of Melbourne (3 items)
Est. $90

Sight note on unnamed Sydney form dated 30th August 1842 for
£35/14-; another for Commercial Banking Company Sydney 8th
March 1852 for £382, both payable to the Secretary of the Society
for Promoting Christian Knowledge London, the ﬁrst being for “A/c
Duties to Convict Parties”, a nice convict-related item, VF and most
interesting (2 forms)
Est. $125

Unused printed cheque forms for Western Australian Bank for
branches in Bunbury in yellow, Fremantle in green, Newcastle
(WA) in purple, Perth in red, York in mauve, minor spike holes else
EF and a difﬁcult assembly (5 forms)
Est. $100

Union Bank of Australia Tasmania duplicate credit notes for
£30 27th Oct 1858, £27/10- 10th May 1860 and £20/6- 29th
May 1863 all made out to Mr Edward White, one with signature
removed; together with two related items, Fine-VF (5 items)
Est. $100

Unused printed cheque forms for Ballarat Banking Company
Limited 18–, Bank of New Zealand Adelaide branch 18–,
Bank of New Zealand Auckland branch for the Civic Theatre
Limited 19–, Oriental Bank Corporation Mauritius 18– with red
Rupee counterstamps over the printed “Dollar” values, the ﬁrst
form c.1860s before it was subsumed by the National Bank of
Australasia, EF-Unc and a scarce group (4 forms)
Est. $90

Queensland; Horburghe & Co Ltd Maryborough notes for One
Shilling, Four, Five and Ten Shillings, One Pound, the Ten Shillings
with tear through half the note else Fine-gFine and rare Est. $250

2356

South Australia; Australian Mortgage Land & Finance Company Ltd
Border Town 90 day ﬁrst bill of exchange for £14,000 dated 4th
Oct 1873 that represented the wool clip for season 1873-74 for
the sheep properties Nalang and Wirrega (two of the ﬁrst grazing
leases established after the settlement of Border Town in 1846)
gFine and an important early document relating to the ﬂedgling
wool industry
Est. $100

Tasmanian Government Type I debenture for Five Hundred Pounds
at 6% interest issued 31st Oct 1867 and redeemed 1st July 1894,
certiﬁcate no.1120 with two “Paid” stamps, VF and scarce for this
amount
Est. $350

Travellers cheques; Bank of New South Wales specimen cheques
for Two, Five and Ten Pounds along with cheque and value-limited
cheque forms; together with specimen letters of credit from the
Commercial Bank of Australia Limited (2 diff) and English, Scottish
& Australian Bank Limited with 1949 date stamp, EF-Unc (8Â items)
Est. $100

One Dollar Phillips-Wheeler CofA (2), Aust; Knight-Wheeler centre
(17), side (9) with the occasional run (R74, 75, 76a, 76c) many
with centre folds, some with teller ﬂicks and a couple of ‘dog ears’
else natural notes and much better than average, aEF and better
(29 notes)
Est. $125

25th Anniversary of Decimal Currency Banknote set 1991, the last
three serials on all notes 926, this being set no.738 of 800. Arguably
the best presented collection of all issuing authorities
Est. $5,000

One Hundred Dollars Macfarlane-Evans preﬁx AB99 (R618) the
bottom serials faded to the extent that only the last two digits
“13” are clearly readable, the top alpha preﬁx and ﬁrst two digits
similarly faded, centre fold EF
Est. $250